Life Of A Caterpillar
by Aceidia
Summary: In 1911, there lived two ordinary brothers. One, an established man of Science and the other, a simple Actor. Little did they know, what lay beyond the World of the Living would change their lives forever. (M for violence.)
1. The Prologue: Part I

_Author's Note: _  
_I have decided since that in the world of Bleach that not everyone is from Japan. As for the changed time era, ages of characters are never given. So, enjoy and review._

* * *

"What in the world do you think you are doing, sneaking in here at this hour?" Ceion stood in the doorway of this private office, staring at his younger brother who was casually glancing over his private notes. "Give those back."

Alair smiled and moved his hand as Ceion attempted to grab the piece of paper he was holding. "I am rather curious what you spend all your time on with the door shut. Let alone what you work on."

"Well, it is not to concern yourself with. Now get out of my study and return to your room." Ceion ordered, pointing to the open door leading into the hallway of their old house.

Ever since their parents passed away a few years ago, Ceion inherited the house while, much to his dislike, Alair inherited the money. Which was quite a large sum, mostly in gold bars.

"Oh, so you want me to return to my room?" Alair laughed, it was quite a silly thing to be asked at his age. "Are you expecting a lady friend to come about?"

"No." Ceion replied, stepping farther into the study to stand next to the wooden chair that was being unwillingly occupied. "I am expecting you to leave the house before then. And it is now five and she arrives at six. Get going. And-" He reached out and ripped the notes out of Alair's hand as he started to walk out of the door. "Give these back to me."

Alair sighed and rolled his eyes. "My goodness, you of all people are nervous. What a sight I behold."

"Leave, Alair…" Ceion pointed at the open door, a stern look pasted on his face.

"Fine, fine… but would you not care witness the world's most celebrate actor on the stage this evening?"

"I don't care. I have been forced to come to every miserable production of the saddest theater of all of England. Evalyn will be here in less than half and hour and the last thing I need is for my brother to embarrass her with his acting skills."

"Skills indeed I have. You…" Alair looked his brother up and down. "Not so much. But if you insist I leave, I shall do just so."

"Brilliant, just brilliant…" Ceion muttered, surveying the mess left behind. "And to think that Kent wants my lab notes tomorrow and I will never be able to find them…" He closed the door of his study and began to sort through the papers.


	2. Part II

_Author's Note: I am sorry this chapter is so short! The next one will be longer_, _promise. Note also the rating may go up for violent content. _

* * *

"To be honest, I were not sure you would be arriving as my dreadful brother was insistent until an hour ago to take us to his horrid show." Ceion said, leading Evalyn in to the dinning room where the servants had set up a fine dinner of goose and seasonal vegetables.

Evalyn smiled a little as she gently brushed piece of curly brown hair behind her ear. Her fair Irish skin glowing in the dim candle light that cast a romantic mood. "Even if I were forced to attend a stage production, I would mind as I would be with you."

"I suppose." Ceion pulled the chair out from the table as he spoke. "However, it is were another boring drama, I am afraid I might have to scream in public."

"Agreed." Evalyn grimaced at the memory of Alair's last production. It was Shakespeare, but…it sounded more like nonsense. "Not that…"

"Not that he's…not…" Ceion could not bring it upon himself to state in words that his brother was a kind person. It was not that Alair did not have a heart, it was just buried somewhere deep, deep down. "And honestly, Evalyn, I am rather ashamed to be related."

"I do not blame you." She replied, gently placing the silk napkin in her lap. "He is…an interesting character. Yes. However, his reputation in the theatre is vastly horrid. He can act, however he is rather…."

"Annoying. Let is leave it at that and continue with this fine candle light dinner."

"Yes, we should. Please pass the potatoes." Evalyn smiled softly and settled back into her chair. "Thank you, my love. On another note, did you hear about the Bllingtons down the road? I heard that they are late on their taxes!"

"Yes, I did get a wind of that, however I have no desire to assist them."

"Yes, yes… that would be a waste of you time…"

Alair listened to continual gossip from where he was sitting in the parlor of the house, completely unnoticed. Which to him, made it clear how empty his brother's head was.

"All it took was a little lie…" He muttered, placing a piece of his rich chin length brown hair behind his ear. "Oh… I have a production tonight… No, no, no… I just wanted to see what you two spoke about when you were alone… and oh. The horror." A scowl crept on to his face, "You speak of me so coldly."

"And so," Evalyn chuckled at the notion that crossed her mind, "The McDoles are having a seventh child. Isn't that insane? And since they all have rhyming names, I was plum out of them. Even though they asked for my assistance. Actually, the whole ladies association I spend time playing bridge with on Saturdays."

"Interesting." Ceion hardly heard the words coming out of her mouth as he was always taken aback by her beauty. Her long brown hair she kept up in a tight bun, contrasting his own long blond hair he left to flow down his shoulder. "I went to the tavern for a drink and I heard from-"

Ceion heard footsteps walking down the hallway, he glanced over his shoulder in time to see Alair creep past the doorway. "What the…."

"Oh, don't mind me." Alair flashed a grin and walked on down the hallway and up the steps.  
How could I been so foolish as to forget the mirror in the dinning room?! Alair scolded himself as he climbed up the steps to his wing of the manor. I suppose I must make an error every one an-

"What do you think you are doing home at this hour?"

He turned to see Ceion standing on the steps behind him. "Oh…" Alair let a smile slip onto his face, "So you caught me."

"…What may I ask, you are doing?!" Ceion raised his voice in frustration. Could he not have a pleasant evening to himself anymore? "Go to you room and stay there or go out."

"How dare you boss me around." Alair laughed, loving his brother's puppet strings he had tied to his slim fingers. "I am the one with all the money, you-"

Something heavy knocked the wind out of his lungs and Alair found himself falling backwards.

_Who would will ever know?_ Ceion thought, their eyes meeting for a brief moment. _I could say…Oh, what could I say? What a sad incident…At least, I am richer. _

Alair felt his head connect with the wooden floor and in a surge of pain, the world went dark.


	3. Part III

Ceion rushed down the steps, hearing Alair groan. _Damn it! Still alive! I guess I'll have to use that- "Evalyn! Help me! Alair fell down the steps!" _He knelt down and gently lifted Alair's head off the wood floor. "Before you come, bring the whiskey in the back of the cabinet, it should dull the pain! Oh god, what happened to you?!"

"I…" Alair stared at his brother's blurred face. "Did…fall…"

"Yes you did, please… please, don't close your eyes."

"But why… why…."

"Shh.. Don't speak. Rest." Ceion smiled a bit as he ran his finger's through his brother's rich brown hair; pausing only to take the small can of alcohol from Evalyn who walked up behind them. "Go call the police and wait for them."

"Yes." She shot her beloved a look and walked off. He had all the power in the world to create what he wished and there was no way she was stopping him. For what Ceion gained, she would gain as well. No matter the cost.

Ceion glanced over his shoulder before taking the tap off the metal container in his hand. "Here, this… this should dull the pain. There…" he watched Alair slowly drink the whisky he placed on his lips. "Do you feel better now? Dear brother, can you hear what I am saying?!"

"I can…" Alair whispered, his vision blurring more than before. "Why… why did you-"

Ceion felt his brother's body suddenly convulse under his grasp. _Yes! It worked… I, am a master of my fate! No longer shall I put up with him and…_A cold grin spread across his face as he watched the light fade out the back door of Alair's eyes. _And now…. _"N…no… my dear brother! How… how could you leave me? I… Dear…Evalyn! Come quickly!" He screamed, feeling tears of rage and devastation slide down his face. It was only a flight a stairs! There was no way that… that…

"What the…?" Alair was not sure what was going on. This had to all be a dream. He was watching his brother cling tightly to his sleeping form, crying. "I am over here…You smiled and said everything would be-"

His next breath stopped short.

And none followed, sending Alair to his knees. _What in hell's name?! What is…_his hands clutched the broken metal chain on his chest. _What is this?! Why is there… Why…why is it broken?! _

He sunk to the floor next to his body at the foot of the steps, breathless and confused.

"My god!" Evalyn screamed as she ran into the hallway with two police officers behind her. "Is… Is…"

"…Yes…" Ceion stammered, "I… I was walking up… up the steps and all a sudden, he… fainted and… and I just couldn't catch him in time!"

_In time?! _Alair gasped, air never reaching his lungs. _In time?! That implies I… I…am dead. "Wait!" _He yelled, struggling to his feet, "Wait! I am right here!"

"I understand sir." The police officer gave a nod to the other, "…Mark, call the coroner will ya. Hate their guts, but… it has to be done."

"Yes, sir." Mark nodded and left the hallway with Evalyn to find the nearest phone in the house.

"Wait!" Alair tried again, walking over to his brother who was climbing off the floor. "Ceion! I am right here! I am alive! Can you not hear me?!"

"I don't know if my brother was well in health, honestly. He did drink too much every so often and-

"That's a lie!" Alair cried, so confused by this dream. "I never-"

"And tonight he was rather intoxicated and-"

"What are you-" Alair froze as his hand went right through his brother's head in his attempt to hit him. "What…the… my hand! My hand!" He tried to hit Ceion's head again, only with the same results. His hand went through his brother's head as if were made of only mist. "Wait…this can't be!" He tried to grab the Police officer's notebook and open the front door of his house.

Yet, nothing worked.

Alair only found himself outside in the cold darkness of the night. _My god… I… I walked through a door! _He glanced over his shoulder at his fine house that he owned. "Or once owned… It will be my brother's now. That…"

_If only there was a way to get back into my body… Oh… wait… maybe this… _He walked back into the hallway and bent down next to himself. "There has to be a chain attached to my body and if I run down to the engineer's store, I should find a tool that can reattach this chain with…" Alair looked his body up and down. There did not seem to be a second half of chain anywhere.

"Maybe…" He reached forwards and felt his chest and after feeling no such chain, checked under his shirt. "There has to be a second one! There has to or…"

_That means I am truly dead. _

_Dead by my own greedy brother's hand. _

_How cold. _

_How…cold… I feel… _Alair let the tears fall from his eyes onto the wood floor of his house. So full of people and yet empty of his voice. No one heard him speak, nor did they know he was here. Yesterday was fine.

Yesterday was wonderful. He had been at the theatre, on stage even. Preforming for the meager crowd that attended despite the reviews. "I feel so cold…and yet, you…Ceion, are beyond my words at this time. How…Yes… I…" He forced himself together and stood upon his feet. "I… I have to leave. I cannot stay here. Perhaps, there are others who can hear me."

Alair turned to leave when his body was carried past him on the Coroner's shoulder and out the open front door. _Good bye, my treasured body… I suppose that I…I will have not a use for you any farther. I want to let you know, I am sorry I could not stay._

He watched what he swore was a small smile creep onto his body as took it's toll on his face.

_Good bye._


	4. Part IV

Ceion closed the door after the Coroner left with his brother's body. Damn it! Damn it! He bent down and picked up the small glass jar that once held a clear alcohol. _Why was this Wood Alcohol so useless? All it did was stop his heart! How I wanted him to suffer… just so he could see his life slide away from him slowly. Hour by hour…_

"What is it darling?" Evalyn gently placed her hand on his shoulder, "You look rather upset."

"Of course I am. This…this was supposed to work differently than I expected." Ceion glanced once more at the small flask before setting it down on the hallway table where a few family photos resided.

"Well, is that not life?"

"I suppose it is. And now we should head to the coroner's office and get this over with as quickly as possible."

"Agreed." Evalyn picked up her small hand purse off the coat rack and the two left the house after bundling up for the snow in the world beyond the front door.

Leaving Alair to wander the house surrounded by darkness. What should I do? He asked himself, sitting down in the chair he was sitting in less than two hours ago when he was a living, breath being. "To think… This… this was a plan. I was only…all I was…"

Alair put his head in his hands and cried.


	5. Eight Years Later

_Eight Years Later on the Same Day_

"Father! Come see the snowman Susie built!" Alexander cried, running over to his father who was sitting on a snow-covered bench with their mother. Discussing worldly affairs and many other boring topics that adults enjoyed speaking of. "The snowman is so large you will not believe it!"

Ceion sighed and smiled a little. His six-year-old was always so marveled by the world around him. Studying the leaves, rocks and various patterns in the sky. "Yes, Alexander, I will accompany across the courtyard to see the Snowman."

"Yes! Thank you, Father!" Alexander cried, taking his knitted hat off his head to fix his blond hair that was poking out of the sides. "I want to learn to make snowmen too!"

"Of course you can." Evalyn laughed, patting her youngest son on the head. "It just takes time."

"Your mother is correct." Ceion said, following his son over to where his eight-year-old daughter was putting the finishing touches on the snowman's face. It was not exactly a large sized snowman, however was taller than Alexander, so therefore was considered so. "Amazing." Ceion told Alexander who stared up at the icy man in awe. "Your sister is talented when it comes to crafting beauty with snow."

"Yes, I know she is! Am I good at anything?"

Ceion looked down at his small son and a smile crossed his face. Everything was as it was supposed to be. "Many things, Alexander, many things."

"Such as?"

"Drawing, playing the piano… the list continues."

"And Susie's great at the violin!"

"Yes, she is." Ceion was about to continue to add things to his son's list of talents when Evalyn called them inside. "Yes, darling! We will be right there!"

After helping Susie with the difficult task of putting the carrot nose in the snowman head, (which was the most trouble as, if done wrong, could split the head in half), Ceion went indoors followed by his children.

"Yes?' He asked walking into the living room of his house that was rightfully his after his dear brother passed away after a night of one to many rounds of whisky. Mad fellow he was. Delusional honestly. "What are you need of, my dear?"

"I thought you might all wish to settle in for a story with some tea and honey." Evalyn said as Ceion sat down on the fine living room sofa next to her, while the children sat on the floor next to the burning fire. "And what story shall we have on this cold winter night?"

"I don't know, Mum." Susie picked up a piece of ribbon she left on the coffee table and tied her shoulder-length brown hair back. "I swear I have heard every winter story there is to be heard."

"Me too!" Alexander agreed whole-heartedly. "I want a scary story!"

"No!" Susie cried, hating anything too frightening. "I want something sweet and-"

"Scary! Scary is the bestest!"

"Is better." Ceion laughed, putting his arm around Evalyn's waist as he did so. "It is not proper grammar to say, 'best-est.' I would say-"

"Never mind teaching!" Alexander did not want to have a teacher at home as well in school he was forced to attend for what seemed forever. "I want a story!"

"Would like, dear…" Evayln sighed, "It's more polite."

"All right. I would like a scary story for it is better." He corrected his whole sentence to please his parents. And much to his pleasure, they smiled.

"But I don't want a scary story…" Susie complained, not liking the idea of ghosts or ghouls.

"This poses a problem." Ceion concluded, glancing out the window where the snow was cascading from the sky. "How about a not very scary story with a happy ending?"

"Yes!" Susie cried, happy to have her way.

"No!" Alexander crossed his arms in a sour mood. "I want it to be scary! Really scary! Like there's this dead man who climbs through the window and I save the day after a big fight!"

"No!" Susie protested, "I don't want to hear another break and entering thief!"

"Children!" Evalyn yelled before the nightly argument could begin. "Why don't we just read some Charles Dickens and go to sleep?" She picked up the book off the side table and opened it to the gold bookmark she left inside. "Where were we? Oh, yes… the Ghost of Christmas Present appeared after the Ghost of the Past."

"How is it you like these ghosts and not other ones, Susie?" Alexander whined loudly.

"Because, they are nice ghosts." Susie shot back, taking a sip of her tea. "And for your information, I know that this story ends well. My friend Olivia at school told me all about it."

"You're no fun!"

"Children, settle down… and listen to the story." Evalyn waited for the two to sit quietly before beginning to read. ""I am the Ghost of Christmas Present," said the Spirit. "Look upon me." Scrooge reverently did so. It was clothed in one simple green robe, or mantle, bordered with white fur…"

Many hours after story time finished up with the chapter and the children were put to bed, Ceion let out a long sigh as he closed the door to his study.

All of these years with out Alair made him realize what a bother his younger brother used to be. "And now that no longer have to deal with him…Life is easier."

Covering up the murder was quite easy as he looked into the past. Many, including the Coroner assumed that Alair was drunk when he arrived home and just fell down the stairs after trying to walk up them.

And no one was to be blamed or questioned thankfully. Leaving Ceion's slate clean as glass.

A few months after, he purposed to Evalyn and a year later he was blessed with a daughter. "And life just slips by…" He muttered as he climbed into bed next to his wife who fell asleep hours ago. "And soon you're dead I suppose."

Ceion pulled the blankets up and closed his eyes.

Foot steps pounded down the hallway and the door to the bedroom burst open. "Father!"

Ceion winced as Susie fell on him. "Yes, what is it my dear daughter?"

"I…I had another horrible dream!" She cried, making herself right at home between her two parents. "It was snowing outside and-"

"You're so silly!" Alexander laughed as he walked into the room, Teddy Bear in tow. "It's only a book!"

"No! It wasn't the book, bread-brain!"

"Naming calling…" Ceion muttered, trying to remind his children to be nice. "Now, want to explain this dream you had, Susie?"

"In the dream-"

"You had a dream about-"

"Let your sister finish her story!" Ceion cried, not wanting to glance at the clock in the dark for he was sure that it was some un-godly hour. "And then you, Alexander can speak. Is that clear?"

The little boy sighed and hung his head. "Yes, Father."

"Good. Susie, continue."

"Well, my dream was very frightening! I dreamt there was a ghost outside my window! And yet, it was hardly a-"

"Why didn't you go wander around the town?" Alexander asked, hoping that her dream was that of one of the many Ghosts of Christmas. "I would gladly-"

"No!" Susie cried, still upset by the vividness of her dream. "It…The ghost… It…had wings."

"Then it was an angel like the Ghost of Christma-"

"Shut up, Alexander! This was no angel!" Susie choked out, tears coming to the corners of her eyes. "And on…on it's face was a carnival mask!"

"So you are saying that some kind of-"

"Alexander…" Ceion scolded, climbing out of bed in his sleeping clothes for the tenth time that week. "Let us not make fun of your sister."

"And it's the same dream!" Susie cried, crawling under the covers so her voice became muffled. "All year… First, it was just the window that creaked and now, no-"

"Why don't we go check it out together?" Ceion held out his hand for his daughter's. "And once again, I will be glad to show you that there are no monsters."

"But… there are…" Susie whispered, climbing out of the covers and off the bed. "And… and…"

"All right…" Ceion knew he was not going to win the battle tonight. "There are monsters, but I don't think there are any outside your window."

"Yeah…" Alexander took his sister's hand as they walked down the dim hallway to Susie's room. "And if there were, I'd fight them until they were nothing but goo."

"Ew, Alexander…" Susie muttered, rolling her lovely brown eyes. "Can we not talk about goo?"

"Yeah…"

"And here we are…" Ceion walked into to his daughter's room which was painted pink with flowers. It used to be Alair's room which was left abandoned for about a year until Evalyn fixed it up for the baby. On the corner there was child-sized bed and a wardrobe and many toys were scattered across the floor as cleaning up after play time was forgotten. "Empty as can be… Nothing under the bed…"

He walked over to the wardrobe and opened the doors. "Nothing in here…" Ceion checked under the rug, in the toy chest and many other places. Ceion walked over the window and after parting the striped curtains, and found only the night sky on the other side. "See? Nothing bu-"

'It's still out there!" Susie shrieked, pointing at nothing but the stars on the other side of the glass. 'Don't you two see it? That thing?!"

"Father…" Alexander stared where his sister was pointing. He wasn't sure what it was, but… there… was a faint outline of…something. Something he had never seen before. "I think that Susie is right… there is…"

Ceion glanced over his shoulder at his children and back to the window. Had they gone mad? What in the world were they seeing that he was not?

"Children, dinner may have upset your minds…" he muttered and let the drapes fall back into place. "Now I do not wish to hear anymore of this nonsense. If you must, go find Alice. She should be cleaning up the kitchen and she will give you some cocoa and send you to bed."

"But, Father!" Susie cried, grabbing his arm as he walked past. "Please, you must-"

"Susie, I am in no mood to be debating the monster outside your window that only children can see."

"But it's real!" Alexander reached out and grabbed onto his leg. "Call the police!"

"I…" Ceion put his hands into the air. "I don't know what to do in the moment…Evalyn!"

"What is it?" She asked five minutes later as she walked into the room. Her normal curling brown hair a mess and her face looked many years older. "Is it the window drama again?"

"Yes…" Ceion sighed, losing the feelings in his arm and leg that were being held in a vice grip by two frightened children. "Help me, please."

"Willingly…." Evalyn yawned and after a moment, managed to pry the children off their father. "And of course… you two cling to me instead."

"Mummy!" Alexander cried, looking up at his mother who did not see what he saw. "It's real! I am sorry for doubting you, Susie!"

"It's all right!" Susie told him, not wanting to sleep in this room ever again. "And the ghost doesn't just stay at our window! Every window! I even saw it follow you to work!"

Ceion glanced behind him at the window, recalculating. _What is going on here? Why would this… ghost follow me to work? And…. Damn it! There is no ghost at all. And I am going to prove it once and for all. _

He marched over to the silly window and opened it wide.

And no ghost came in or out.

Ceion turned to his children, "See no ghost. Now can we go to bed?"

Alexander and Susie sighed heavily. "All right… We'll go to bed…"

"Good." Ceion began to close the window when something grabbed his neck. "What th-"

"Darling!" Evalyn screamed seeing Ceion stager back and fall to his knees, his hand franticly clawing at his neck. "Darling! What is going on here?!"

"Ev…I…" Ceion tried to speak, but what ever was holding onto him was too strong. "I…"

"_Why… hello…long time, don't you think?" _A deep voice asked, a hint of joy in the tone. _"Or perhaps, too long."_

Ceion slowly looked up to see a dark winged figure with glowing amber eyes looming over him. "Wh…"

"_Oh, that right. You can't speak for I have my hand around your neck, silly me." _The figure continued as it enjoyed watching Evalyn scream in panic along with the rest of Ceion's pathetic family. "_You asked who I am? No one in particular, just…I'll save that for later."_

"Le…t… me…"

"_You. You want me to let you go?!" _The creature laughed, revealing an outline of a odd white mask which seemed to be a part of it's very face. The sides of it fanning out away from the creature's face and a piece curving over the eyes as if they half of what remained of squared spectacles. "_I came here tonight for-look at me. Look at me, Ceion!_"

The creature watched his prey freeze in horror.

"_Hell yes, it is I. Your dearest, Alair who you so-" _Alair let go of his brother's neck, a plan forming in his mind. "_Who you so kindly-"_

"What is the…" Ceion gasped, falling to the floor. "Why… why did you not stay dead? Speak to me! Why the hell did you not die when I killed you, Alair?!

"_Perhaps, I did not feel like it."_ Alair replied, pleased with his brother's words. _"After I died, I spent years as a lonely ghost. Wandering the poor streets of London. All thanks to you."_

"How dare you come in here and try to kill me!"

"_It is what I wanted to do. After I died, I was…angry. Angry that you took my life away from me!_" Alair screamed, stepping out of the shadows and into the moonlight. _"And this… Oh, this is what I have become. What you gave me. Don't worry… I feel much better. I feel like a god."_

"You are delusional!" Ceion screamed, wishing his brother would come to his senses.

'Is that so? I hardl-" Alair stopped short and glanced around the darkened room. "Wait…they're here…I can feel it… I always can. I suppose you win this round, brother… I will be back."

Ceion opened his mouth to speak as Alair flitted to the window ledge and into the night. _Dear God… Did he just… fly? And how can I…._ His mind slowly came to a near stand still as the weight of the incident sank in.

Evalyn was yelling in one of his ears, his children were in a panic and if his other were truthful, a sound of a distant siren was to be heard beyond; coming to rescue him from the new twisted reality he lived in.


	6. Words Unspoken

Susie made her way to school the next day with Alexander's hand grasped tightly in her own as they cross the street where many cars had crashed into one another as disorder was the normalcy of driving life.

"Susie! Slow down!" Alexander cried, trying his best to keep up with his older sister as she turned a corner. "This isn't the way to school! Mum's going to cross with us if she finds us out about this! If the police officer takes us home again for roaming around!"

"Quite, Alexander!" Susie snapped, not caring what happened at this point. She was on a mission and there was no way that she was going to listen to reason. "I have to make sure of something that has bothered me all last night!"

"Aw… Why did you have to drag me into this?!"

"I had no choice. I am sorry."

"Can we at least stop at the candy store?"

"After, Alexander, after!" Susie scolded, dragging her brother up the steps of the town hall, no plan in her mind at all. I still…

_"Why the hell did you not die when I killed you, Alair?!"_

_Why the hell did you not die?!_

_When I killed you._

No! Susie forced the thought out of her mind. _My father is not a murder! _

Last night she knew there was a conversation going on between her father and the carnival ghost. She could not understand anything the

Ghost were saying as it was too muffled to hear for some reason, but she heard everything her father said.

"Excuse me, what are two children doing here?" the lady at the front desk right inside the City Hall asked, staring down her nose at the two pests who interrupted her work. "I am afraid I am going to have to ask you two to leave immediately.'

Susie let go of Alexander's hand and crossed her arms, "I want to to look through your death records for-"

"What kind of child are you? Be gone with you!" The woman cried, wondering why in the world a child would want to view such a grotesque piece of paper. "Hardy, would you please escort these two out of here?"

Hardy looked up from the newspaper he was reading and after adjusting his blue hat of his police uniform, did as he was asked.

Alexander gasped as Susie cursed after the doors of the City Hall closed again. Leaving the two of them at the bottom of the steps, where they started.

"Now can we go to the Candy Store?" Alexander asked a few minutes later as he was being dragged down the sidewalk once again.

Susie shook her head, not wanting to speak.

She was going to search until she found what she wanted.

If Alair's Ghost could talk to her father who could not see it at first, it would talk to her.

"But where it is?" She yelled in frustration, crossing another street to the only place where ghosts would dare lurk.

* * *

The Ghost opened his eyes and sat up. What a pain it was to have to return to the Human World. He tried his best not to make a sound as he yawned and looked around the graveyard where his body was buried.

_It's surely dust by now, good riddance. It is, however such an annoyance to have to hide here of all places. But at least I am alive._

He surveyed the surrounding area for the Predator who was cutting through Adjuchas as if they were paper_. _

_When I regained form after evolving into a Menos Grande, there were a good three hundred Adjuchas…now however… there are only sixty some, myself included. This killer is no fool, I will give him that… Going after one of us at a time and moving onto the next after the target is-_

"Ghost!" A girl's voice cried, "I am so glad I..."

Susie froze as Ghost stood up and spread its white and red wings in the bright sunlight.

In the dark in her room last night, she thought her eyes had been fooling her.

No, the Ghost had white and red that were so tall they rose a good third of a meter over his head. He had those haunting amber eyes that glowed in the day and long bright pink hair that cascaded down past his shoulders.

"...can I...speak with you?" Susie asked, hoping that he would hear her voice.

"About what?" The Ghost said, his mouth moving under the white hole covered mask that came up to about his nose and curved outward to create what looked like fans on both side of his face. "I could care less about my murderous acti-"

"I cannot hear you, Ghost." The girl said, setting her school bag down on the ground. "I can see you. Nod if you can hear me."

The Ghost sighed and nodded sightly. He honestly had more pressing matters at hand, but Ceion's Daughter seemed desperate to talk to him.

"Good! I have some paper here and a pencil. Can you write?" Susie set her notebook on the top of a nearest gravestone as the Ghost rolled his eyes. "Write, please."

The Ghost glanced around the graveyard, searching for any sign.

After seeing he was safe for the moment, picked up the notebook and pencil and wrote in shaky cursive:

_What do you wish to know?_

"I want to know who you are and..." Susie closed her eyes, not wanting the words to escape her lips. "If...if my Father killed you."

So that is what she wanted to know.

After a minute of writing, the Ghost held up the notebook which had written upon it:

_Yes. I was Alair and your father did kill me. Ceion pushed me down the steps and after I did not die, he poisoned me._

He spied tears creeping into her eyes and wrote down some more details.

_He wanted my inheritance._

"Is…is that it?" Susie reached up with her sleeve of her winter coat and wiped the tears out of her eyes. "But…I…love my Father. He would never do anything so cruel! I know it!"

_I do not have all day._

"I…I know, Ghost. I…I should not be keeping you from your rest."

The Ghost set the pencil down on the top of the gravestone and shook his hand out. Not writing for a good eight years made it so difficult.

"What… What should I do?" Susie cried, confusion taking over her mind.

_Nothing._

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry about the long time between chapters. The next update shall be sooner. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!


	7. Butterfly Pavilion

Susie sat in the dining room that evening after returning from school. After meeting with the ghost, she took Alexander to the Candy Shop to take her mind off what was written in her notebook by the him.

"Susie?"

She looked up to see her mother staring at her from the end of the long dark oak table. "What is it, Mother?"

"My, my, you have had a busy day." Evalyn laughed, hearing her daughter's voice come out as a small whisper. "You are usually cheerful. I suppose Mrs. Avery gave a long lecture again."

"She always does." Susie pasted a smile on her face for her mother. "It was really dull today, however."

"You will get used to lectures soon enough." Ceion noted, his own mind lost to the events of the other night as well. _That freak did not look at all like Alair, so it must not be. _

_I was right. All of it were a twisted dream… _

…_.but it was true… _Susie glanced down at the head of the table at her father who was eating his food as if nothing was on his mind. But she could read what his eyes wrote.

* * *

Ceion woke with a start to find a hand clamped over his mouth; long pink hair draping over him; brushing his face and the same amber eyes staring at him.

"There, there…" The Ghost's deep voice chuckled, holding down his prey as it tried to escape his grasp. "Calm down, Yylfordt…"

_Yylfordt?! _Ceion reached up to shove the ghost away, but another hand grabbed his arm. _My name is not-_

The ghost leaned down so their eyes were forced to meet, "I just gave you a name. You should be grateful!"

Ceion finally inhaled a deep breath and gave in, letting himself relax under his captor's hold.

"Thank you," The Ghost removed his pale white hand from Cieon's mouth to pour a vial of liquid down his throat. "We have not much time to waste, Yylfordt. Your body will reject your soul come…"

The Ghost flickered away to stand next to the bed as Ceion screamed and gasp for air. "I personally find Cyanide to be such a quick death… Quick but…" He frowned as he saw Ceion's body hanging off the side of the bed. His face bright red, eyes wide and bloody froth dripping from his lips onto the floor. "Messy. And loud." He noted, watching Evalyn suddenly wake up and look around.

The ghost sighed and reached up to cover his own delicate ears before-

Evalyn screamed.

"Are you done yet?" the Ghost asked after she was in too much shock to scream anymore. Instead, silently stared at Ceion's body.

"Why?" A small voice asked.

The Ghost turned to see the newly dead standing behind him, his face fraught with anger.

"Why did you kill me?!" Ceion ran towards the masked creature and it disappeared into thin air before him. "Wha-"

"There is no way you are going to lay a hand on me."

He quickly spun around to see the Ghost standing behind him by the door to the room where the maid came running in.."How…Why, ghost?! Why did you take me away from everything I love?!"

"Because, you took me away from the same." The Ghost replied, closing his eyes for a moment. _Damn, he's getting closer… I have to finish this before he finds me._ "I spent years searching for the perfect way to kill you, honestly. So many options to choose from… simply push you out a window… I could have done that, I could have run you over with a car. Crushed all of your entrails onto the pavement to rot. I could have driven you to the point of madness and made you do the deed yourself. But no. I wanted to show you how I died. How the poison you gave me, erased Alair's very existence from this world and the other two."

"You speak… Ceion muttered, his hand gripping his Chain of Fate, wishing with all his heart to wake up. "You speak as if you are not my brother, Ghost." In one moment, he would find himself laying in bed with the sun coming through the window.

Any moment now.

"You are correct." The ghost laughed, pleased with himself. Alair's soul was hardly a part of him anymore. Nothing but a distant memory. "I am hardly your brother."

"How dare you claim to be him!" Ceion's world was turned around once again. "You devil! As much as I hated him, I would never let anyone-"

"I was your brother." The ghost decided it were best to clarify what he meant. "However, his soul is no longer a part of me. Yes, I may look like him and perhaps, act rather like him… but I am my own being, Yylfordt."

"Why do you call me that?! I cannot even proun-"

"It is your new name. Congratulations." The Ghost reached out to Ceion who was still trying to remove the chain from his chest and slapped his hand away from his task. "You will need it, I can assure you."

Ceion looked up at him, an idea coming to mind. "New… damn chain! New name?"

"Yes. We all have new names we create or steal from another one of our kind."

"So, you who were my brother, must… must have a new name. Am I correct?"

The ghost grinned behind his white mask, reviling in his name he took from a horribly ugly hollow who hardly deserved such a creation. "Yes…it took me so long to find one suitable to my exquisite beauty…"

"Beauty? You…you are a wretched, ugly creature."

"Oh, Yylfordt, You have no idea when you speak of such ugliness." The ghost laughed, fixing a piece of his long pink hair with his fingers. "If I were not a butterfly, I would surely drown myself."

"You really are a…" Ceion took to his right and another back. Casually situating himself so the door out of the bedroom was behind him. _Maybe I can escape and find the door back to real life and out of dream land._ _I just have to stall until I see an opportunity. _"You really are a…"

"What? Did you think these wings were just for show?"

"Ye..yes. I suppose I did as I did not think that… that ghosts like yourself had wings."

"Ghosts like myself? Don't make me laugh, fool. I am hardly a simple ghost. I am a Hollow, thanks to you!"

"Why… why do you hate me so?" Ceion watched the ghost sigh and reach up hand as if it were to fix it's hair once again.

"I have no reason." The ghost grabbed his arm, it's amber eyes brightened, "I know what you are thinking, Yylfordt. I will not let you escape… I need you."

_Wonderful. Everything is in order now… _

"What do you need me for?" Ceion never recalled his brother needed anything, having it all given to him on a sliver platter. When or what ever his heart desired. "Why do you sound so desperate?"

"I have this hunter after me." The ghost let a little truth slip out of his lips. "And I need someone like you…to help me rid of them. They are a true terror, to be honest."

"And what is in it for me?"

"…Everything." The ghost replied, tightening his grip on his new meat shield's hand. "Power, glory… everything you've ever wanted."

"But I had everything I wanted!" Ceion cried, trying to pull his arm free from his captor's grasp. "I had a family! I had a life and you, you took it all away!"

"True. I have a tendency to do that to insolent humans." The ghost smiled as he watched the scene occurring in the room. The maid had left screaming to get the doctor, the two pesky children came running in and were now all sobbing along with their mother.

It was a beautiful sight.

"And this…" He reached out and twisted Ceion's head around so he could see the scene. "This is what you created for yourself."

"I did not crea-"

"You killed me!" He screamed, only to lean into whisper in Ceion's ear. "And thought, for some reason I would stay dead…no?"

"I… I didn't-"

Susie's eyes fell on the two invisible forms. "…Fa…father?!"

"Yes!" Ceion stepped forwards to run over to her when the Ghost grabbed his arm. "Yes it's me! I'm not-"

"So… She can see you too…" A manic grin crept across the Ghost's face. "Am I correct, Yylfordt?"

Ceion glanced behind him to see the smile on the ghost's face that crept past the edges of his mask. "Yes! Yes she can! I am sa-" the air was forced out of his lungs and he fell to the ground.

"And so…" The ghost studied the long Chain of Fate in his hand. "This… May not be…" He glanced at Susie who was now standing next to the bed, staring at them with wide eyes. "needed."

He pressed Ceion's body in to the floor with his foot and ripped the chain right out of his chest.

_There, there… don't scream. You are hurting my gentle ears…_

_And yet… I revel in the beautiful song you care to sing. It will come to an end soon… just as soon as you lose yourself to your darkest thoughts….You will find that it is what you have always wanted._

_Oh… how ironic…I always knew that you were stubborn…Isn't it funny how we Hollows reflect the personality of our old soul as an animal?_

He slowly opened his eyes to find himself in a darkened room. It looked familiar and yet…it was like it came from a dream. "Who…" He glanced at the tall masked figure staring at him from the window ledge where the butterfly was perched. A pleased smile on his face.

To the small girl sitting on the…what was that word? He had heard it before… but up until now, he had been locked away…_Oh…bed…."Who… are…you and…"_

"Who are you?" The Butterfly said, tilting his head to the side slightly as he spoke.

"Yes." His deep voice said, wondering were he was for a moment. "Who…who am I?"

"Well…" The Butterfly disappeared from the window ledge and reappeared by his side. "You may possibly remember. I did. It was not very hard as Alair's soul was not completely destroyed by the transformation…However…some…are not so lucky. Like yourself. Human souls are so much more fragile than that of a Soul Reapers I have found…"

"Don't…talk… Tell me who I am!"

"Fine.. Fine…" The Butterfly fixed his hair again, "I will tell you who you are. And since, I am in a happy mood and pleased with handy work…I will remind you. You are Yylfordt Granz and I am your younger brother, Fornicaras. However, it is to note that I am in charge. One false move and I will not hesitate to devour you."

"Devour?" Yylfordt muttered, his chest still throbbing in pain from the hole that ran right through it. "What…"

"Oh. You will soon learn what I mean." Fornicaras said, glancing out the window where he saw a building a few kilometers away begin to burn. "And me, oh my… I do get carried away… don't I?" He turned his attention back to the large Bull Hollow who was examining his surrounds like a child. "I'm sorry Yylfordt. I wasn't supposed to turn you in a hollow now that I remember… Madness does claim my mind now and then. I was supposed to use Ceion as bait…oh well. There are plenty of humans to…."

Why did he have to go searching for one when….

He picked Susie off the bed and threw her over his shoulder. "This should do…"

"Put me down!" Susie thrashed in her captor's grasp as he walked towards the window. "And bring my father back! Bring him back!"

"I don't think that is-" Fornicaras leapt backwards as his form appeared on the window ledge.

"You're too late, Fornicaras!" He sneered, his large white teeth glimmering in the moon light which was blocked mostly by his tall frame. "I'm gonna kill you this time!"

"Fornicaras?" Fornicaras laughed, hoping he could stall for time. "No, no… Santa fucking Teresa.. That is no longer my name."

"Then what the hell is it?!" Santa Teresa demanded, one of his thin barbed mantis arms inches from Fornicaras' neck. "I can't fight someone I don't know what to call."

"That's why I changed it, twit."

"Twit? What is that? One of your prim and proper insults English?"

"Why…" Fornicaras grinned, pleased that he picked up Susie after all. "Yes.. And.. Most important of all… I brought you a gift because I truly enjoy watching you try so hard to kill me. Why don't you move on to your next task, Santa Teresa and come back to me later?"

"Because I have to go in order! That's how it works!" The Manis yelled at him, just wanting to finally catch this piece of scum that kept avoiding him.

"And what happens if you go out of order?"

"Nothing!" He roared, wanting to run this pissant through the neck with his long green arm. "Tell me your name so I can kill you honorably!"

"Honorably?" Fornicaras scoffed with a laugh. "Were are you? Some kind of Ancient Samurai? I, on the other hand, don't have any such code to live by besides do what is to my advantage. And so…" He lifted Susie into the air by her hair. "Here. We have a gift for the one who is so intent on killing me. It is a fresh soul…I ripped it right out of her body less than five minutes ago."

Santa Teresa's purple eye laid itself on the small trembling girl before turning back to Fornicaras. "You make me sick."

"Wonderful." He grinned. "Don't vomit over my shoes, will you? Just got them polished."

"I said! You make me sick! Killing innocent people who have nothing to do with this fight! That's why you deserve to die, you-"

"Don't say it. A child is present. No?"

"What ever the hell you want! This fight is between you and me until I kill you. So, I'm not going to take any trades."

"Really…" Fornicaras sighed and brought Susie down so her toes touched the floor. "What a shame…then…" he glanced at the girl and then at Yylfordt who was muttering to himself in English. "I will have to eat her. Or… even better, I could give it to Yylfordt. It is his daughter after all… Oh, the horrible and yet brilliant things my mind creates…."

"You wouldn't dare do such a thing…." Santa Teresa growled, surveying the scene in the room which drew his attention as another person entered. A woman with long brown hair in a nightgown sat on the bed, holding a young boy as she cried. Two servants-or so he noted they looked like- were moving a man with long blond hair to the floor while another pair was tending to the body of a little girl. The same one that Fornicaras held in his grasp. "You are such a…"

"I know. I know…" With this, Fornicaras tossed Susie over his shoulder and onto the floor behind him. "But somethings in life cannot be helped… to be frank, Santa Teresa… You are hardly one to speak now that I recall that time that you slaughtered all of those Gilligans in the Forest of Menos."

"Slaughtered?! They challenged me!"

"Or at least, that is what-" Frantic screaming erupted behind him, only to fall silent seconds later. "You said. Anyhow… I suppose I will have to leave soon as Yylfordt here will be wanting something more than an small morsel."

Santa Teresa glanced over the Butterfly Hollow's shoulder. Only to conclude:

"You are fuckin' sick! You just made him-"

"Thanks for your wonderful observation. Sadly though, visiting hours to the Butterfly Pavilion is over. And…" Fornicaras reached up and fixed his own pink hair before casually putting a strand Santa Teresa's long black hair back into place. "Isn't it our nature to eat those who we once knew? So… In theory, I was just assisting."

He smiled as he saw Santa Teresa think over his words, only to find them true. "And so…" Fornicaras walked past him towards the open window where the night sky loomed beyond. "I must leave and…Yylfordt, please don't destroy the house on your way out."

Santa Teresa spun around just in time to see him leap out the window. "Wa-wait! Come back here you bastard! I've gotta kill you!" He ran over to the ledge and followed his prey into the night.


End file.
